If Shrek saw Matebot, no amount of sad-eyes could win him back to Puss in Boots’ side. Created by Shenzhen-based robotics company Ekasbo, Matebot looks like a black and white cartoon cat and responds to your touch by wiggling its ears, changing the expression in its big LED eyes and tilting its head. Built with…
In a week where AMD, Intel and Qualcomm have already made major announcements, Microsoft’s keynote yesterday at Computex in Taipei was relatively lowkey. Instead of revealing new products, the company hinted at what it wants in a modernized operating system. Intriguingly, Microsoft’s blog post about the keynote does not mention Windows, lending credence to speculation…
Fundraising 101: How to trigger FOMO among VCs Our media columnist Eric Peckham talked to a variety of successful founders on how they generate FOMO (i.e. fear of missing out) among VCs during their fundraises. While having a great deck and story is key to startup success, clearly there is also a bit of the…
Kids gaming platform Roblox has its sights set on China with today’s news that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Chinese tech giant, Tencent. The companies announced a strategic partnership that will initially focus on education — specifically, coding fundamentals, game design, digital citizenship, and entrepreneurial skills. The joint venture — still unnamed…
Roger, an accounting automation tool that runs on top of accounting software to automate various processes, has raised $7.35 million in Series A funding. Leading the round is QED Investors, with participation from 9Yards, Silicon Valley Bank, Financial Venture Studio, and BootstrapLabs. A number of individual investors, including Dan Wernikoff, the former GM of QuickBooks…
Ignoring calls that it’s creepy, Facebook is forging onward with its Portal smart display. Today Facebook quietly launched iOS and Android Portal apps that let owners show off photos on the screen without sharing them to the social network, and video call their home while they’re out. The app isn’t likely to move the needle…
Chinese automotive startup Nio is tweaking its plans for future electric vehicles, a move prompted by sluggish sales of its ES8 model. Nio, which reported in its unaudited financial results Tuesday a loss of $390.9 million in the first quarter, is taking a number of measures in response to a slowdown in sales. Those changes…
Last week Modsy, a San Francisco-based startup raised a large amount of funding – $37 million in C-round funding to be precise. And that followed a $23 million series B round in December 2017. Why the large amounts I hear you ask? Well, Modsy is developing a platform that lets property owners create virtual renderings…
Even before Computex officially launched today, AMD and Qualcomm threw down the gauntlet at Intel with a new chip and a 5G PC, respectively. Today Intel responded in kind during its keynote presentation in Taipei, introducing new processors and laptops, in addition to unveiling Ice Lake, its 10th generation Intel Core chips. Now shipping to…
Massive news just dropped for Hong Kong’s capital markets. Alibaba, one of the world’s largest tech companies, is considering raising $20 billion through a second listing in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported on Monday citing sources. TechCrunch has reached out to Alibaba for comment and will update the story if and when we have more information.…
